


The Prince and the Druid

by Pocky_Pandas91



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series, 悪魔城伝説 | Castlevania lll: Dracula's Curse
Genre: Blood, Blood Drinking, Death, Demons, Druids, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fighting, Kinda Auish, Love, Magic, Past Torture, Rape/Non-con Elements, Reader-Insert, Smut, Torture, Vampires, Violence, Witches, but not really, in my MIND, lots o' death, possible trigger warnings, sorta - Freeform, takes place between seaons 1 and 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-06-29 00:17:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15718026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pocky_Pandas91/pseuds/Pocky_Pandas91
Summary: After being betrayed, imprisoned, and tortured; you, Stela Constantin, find yourself traveling with a Dhampir, a Scholar, and an exiled Vampire Hunter. They are on a quest to defeat Dracula and his armies before they wipe out humanity. Will you put aside your own newly discovered quest or are both your's and your new allies quests intertwined? Can you forge something more than camaraderie with the Prince?





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my first fanfic in like forever! Now, I know this isn't a true reader insert because it doesn't have the blanks where you fill in your name and features. For those of you who like it that way, I apologize, but in my opinion it tends to kinda mess with the flow of the story and makes typing more tedious than it already is. Reader inserts are my fav, as long as they're well written and have a nice, smooth flow. I digress! If you don't like it, you can always just add whatever name and features you want as you read. Anyway, this takes place at the end of the 1st season and I'm pretty much just making things up as I go along. I can't plan stories, I have to wing them. They tend to work better unplanned. It may incorporate some of season 2(when netflix heckin' releases it!). Anyway, I love Alucard and I wanted to write something, so here it is!

The rocks and sticks stabbed into your bare feet as you ran. You could hear the hounds baying as they tracked your scent through the forest. You could hear the hunters egging them on from behind them. They whooped and hollered, calling you ‘witch’ and ‘Satan’s whore’. There was a small river up ahead that moved rather swiftly.

‘Maybe I can use the water to lose my scent,’ your frantic mind thought as you plunged into the water, and instead of crossing straight away, you waded slowly upstream. It was slow going, with you looking back every so often to make sure the hunters weren’t trailing you. You were so distracted that you didn’t see the deeper water ahead of you. It happened so quickly, one minute you were moving through the waist deep water, the next, you were drowning in a deep hole. You sputtered and gasped as you tried to keep your head above the water, but the current only pushed you under and against the side of the medium sized hole. 

In your panic, your arms flailed out and your hand hit a rock jutting out of the side to right. You grasped it tightly and painfully hauled yourself up and over the edge of the hole. You moved as quick as possible to the edge of the river and collapsed on the bank.  
You were so, so tired and your body hurt like it never had before. You could have stayed on that bank for the rest of your life, but the hunters shouts and the hounds baying forced you to get up and continue moving. 

 

You weren’t sure how long you had been running, but the sun was beginning to set and you could no longer hear your pursuers. You stopped and leaned against a nearby tree. You smiled softly for the first time in weeks as the relatively young tree hummed with warmth and life. It shared its energy with you, revitalizing your weary body. But still, it wasn’t enough. The weeks of torture and abuse by supposed men of God left your body broken and weak. For the first time since your own blood betrayed you, you wept. You slid to the cold, wet Earth and sobbed. You just wanted to go home to the little cottage in the woods. Back to where you were born and spent over half of your life with your family.

‘I can’t though. I’m all alone now. Mother and father are gone and so is Alina,’ you thought miserably as you watched the sun dip behind the trees and out of your line of vision. You sighed dejectedly and leaned further against the tree as its energy finally began to warm your cold, pale skin. No matter how much your mind kept willing and pleading with your body to get up, your body just wouldn’t listen. And so, as night descended upon Romania, sleep descended upon you.


	2. Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is up! I love AO3 more than Lunaescence. It takes forever to get a chapter approved. On here it's like BAM! Your chapter is up. OK, so anyway, I hope you guys like it, cuz I think it's pretty decent. I'm a bit out of practice so bear with me. If you see any errors, let me know. I'm a bit of a grammar Nazi, so spelling and all that is really important to me. On side note, Oct. 26th can't get here soon enough! Seriously, I need season 2 in mah liiiiiife! OK, anyway enjoy, kudos, and comment:)

The trek through the woods was surprisingly easy, all things considered. Sypha led the way, using her fire magic to light a path. Trevor and Alucard walked side by side, ever on the lookout for danger. They had just come from a small village that was being attacked by dracula’s demons. Although there were casualties, it would have been a lot worse if the trio hadn’t arrived. They didn’t stick around though. As soon as the demons had been dispatched, the villagers had ganged up on their saviors. They were shouting about witches and witchcraft. A show of force was the only thing that kept the villagers from going after them. With Alucard’s vampire abilities and Trevor’s, well, with Trevor being Trevor. They had managed to scare the people enough to force them to flee into the nearest standing building. 

“Maybe you should learn to use a sword. I don’t want to be run out of every town we save. That was the last village for miles,” Trevor grumbled as he rubbed is more than likely empty stomach. Sypha only rolled her eyes as she continued walking.

“I don’t need a sword to fight. I’m no practioner of black magic! I’m a Scholar!” she finally huffed as she heaved herself over a rather large log. 

“Even so, the people of Wallachia are terrified of all things they don’t understand. You know that you mean them no harm. We know that you mean them no harm. But… they do not know. They will continue to not know as long as my father continues his reign of terror,” Alucard spoke, golden eyes effortlessly scanning the area.

“Even after we defeat Dracula, they will continue to be afraid of what they don’t understand. I will continue to use my gifts to help them. In time, I believe they will come to understand that not all magic users are evil,” the young Scholar proclaimed. After that, the banter seemed to die off as the forest led to a small, yet swift river. Trevor stopped for a moment, kneeling on the ground.

“What is it, Belmont?” Sypha asked as she knelt beside him, extending her fire towards him to give a bit more light. He tenderly touched the ground, emotion playing on his face. Concern? Confusion? Perhaps realization of a truth only he knew.

“What have you found?” Alucard did not kneel next to the two humans. He could see perfectly well what the Vampire Hunter had found. He only wanted him to voice his own theory.  
“Tracks; human and dog by the looks of it. I can see some smaller, shoeless tracks underneath,” he mumbled as he looked around for a moment and stood up. Sypha stared at the tracks for a moment longer before joining the two men in the river. 

“What do you think happened?” she asked as they trudged up the embankment, sopping wet and cold.

“Someone was being chased. The prints were small, so a child or woman. Those villagers seemed more hysterical about your magic than any others we have helped. Perhaps they had a witch problem before we arrived and they ran away,” Trevor opinned as he kept his eyes to the ground. The tracks were only those of the dogs and hunters; men by the looks of their shoe size. After a while the tracks veered off to what Trevor could only guess was the west. He hadn’t found anymore signs of the witch. They must have either been swept away by the river or crossed the water further downstream. 

Eventually the small group had to veer off the path when a dense group of thorny bushes blocked their path.

“I wonder if we’ll come across the witch,” Alucard mused allowed as he ducked under a low lying branch.

“Maybe, the witches tracks stopped when they entered the river. I haven’t seen anymore since then. Either they crossed further down or got swept away,” he voiced his earlier thoughts. Alucard nodded in agreement as they straightened their path, hoping to of bypassed the bushes and find the small foot path again.   
A long stretch of silence ensued as they trekked through the dark, only stopping when they thought they heard something. 

“Stop,” Alucard said abruptly, startling both Trevor and Sypha. They turned and looked at him.

“What?” Trevor whispered as he strained his ears, but heard nothing.

“A heartbeat,” Alucard offered as he slowly and silently made his way into a small copse of trees. Trevor and Sypha looked at each other and then silently followed after the Dhampir. They found the blonde standing in front of a tree, looking down. When they joined him, they were both taken aback by what they saw. It was a young woman, no older than Sypha. Her long dark hair was matted and dirty from what they could tell. Her skin was a sickly pale color and was littered with wounds, blood, and dirt. She only wore a cloak that was a little too small for her. She didn’t even have shoes on. Her feet cut up and bloodied by the ground. She was alive though, if the rise and fall of her chest was any indication.  
“ I-Is this the witch?” Sypha asked as she knelt down next to the girl.

“I believe so. I can feel magic within her,” Alucard said as he too knelt down on her other side.

“They tortured her. These wounds were deliberate, controlled,” Trevor hissed as his fingers gently ran over an obviously infected cut on her ice cold thigh. Her pale cheeks were flushed a deep red, a sign of fever. It pained the Vampire Hunter to see such a young woman in such a horrid state. Although the Belmont’s killed witches, they weren’t savages. They knew how to tell the wicked from the good. 

“What should we do? We can’t leave her here, she’ll die. Many of these wounds are infected,” Sypha looked to the two males, eyes furious, yet pleading. After a few moments of silence, Alucard was the one to make the first move. He took his long coat off and draped it over the girl before picking her up.

“We should find shelter for the time being,” he said stiffly before continuing on their previous path.

It took them a bit to find an abandoned home, partly because Sypha made frequent stops to gather various plants that she thought would help their newest party member. Trevor got a fire going while Alucard gently laid the young witch on the old, musty bed. His coat slipped down off of a shoulder, revealing more cuts and bruises. He pursed his lips and pulled his coat back over her shoulder before turning and helping Trevor and Sypha.

“We need clean water to wash her wounds,” Sypha said as she found an old bucket that could still hold water.

“I’ll go with you,” Trevor said as he stood. They both turned to Alucard, who only nodded his consent.

“I shall stay with the witch. My mother taught me a few things about poultices and healing herbs. I shall do what I can while you’re gone,” he said as he began taking out herbs along with a small mortar and pestle.

“OK, we will be back as soon as we can,” Trevor said as they both left.

 

Trevor and Sypha had been gone for a bit by the time Alucard had finished preparing what he could.Until they got back with the water, there was nothing left to do. It was folly to put medicine on a dirty wound. He looked over to the bed and observed the young witch. The magic he sensed in her was ancient, far older than any magic he had ever come across. He did not feel as though the magic was evil. He had met quite a few witches, both good and bad. The bad ones always had an ominous presence about them. This girl did not feel evil. She was shifting uncomfortably in her sleep now. Small noises leaving her throat.

“A dream, perhaps,” Alucard murmured to himself as he continued to watch her. Or so he thought that’s what he would be doing, until there was a knock at the door. He could hear the humans talking amongst themselves and the sound of hounds panting and growling.

‘The hunters’ he thought as another knock sounded throughout the small space. Alucard quickly turned her to her side, away from the door and draped his coat further up the witches body in an attempt to hide her without seeming suspicious.

“Yes?” he pleasantly asked a he opened the door. The men went silent and the dogs coward behind their masters.

“U-Uh, yes, well, we are looking for a woman that escaped custody earlier today from a nearby village. She’s on the petit side, dark hair, pale skin, and two different colored eyes. Last time anyone saw her, she was only wearing a cloak,” the man said, wearily staring down the younger male. Alucard made a show of thought, putting his index finger to his chin and humming.  
“I’m afraid I haven’t seen anyone,” he finally said after a few moments.

“Our hounds tracked her scent to this cottage,” the hunter persisted. Alucard tilted his head in curiosity.

“Perhaps she was here earlier, but moved on,” he supplied, beginning to grow impatient. 

“Yes, maybe you’re right. My apologies for disturbing you. Please, have a good night and stay safe in these dangerous times,” the man said as he turned and the lot of them walked off down the small path. Alucard didn’t like this one bit. They were suspicious and suspicious humans are more trouble than they’re worth. They couldn’t stay here long, they needed to move on quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, there wasn't a lot of action, but I'm trying to keep it a bit realistic. Our wayward reader is pretty banged up, so she's not gonna be kicking demon butt as soon as she meets our heroes. I've studied the methods that witch hunters used back in the dark ages and let me tell you, it's absolutely horrifying. I also hope no one was atrociously out of character. I don't really think they were. I like to think Sypha would totally go out of her way to help a fellow magic user. Trevor, I think would as well, despite being a Belmont. Alucard is gonna be a bit trickier, but I like to think he just wouldn't leave a defenseless person,, let alone a woman, lying on the ground, ya know? Anyway, hope you liked and keep your eyes open for the next chapter, which I'm already working on.


	3. Dilemma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, can you smell the chapters in the air? No, just me? OK, well, chapter 3 is here for your reading pleasures. I might actually get to post chapter 4 today too. It depends, I've got work tomorrow morning so I have to get to bed early. I'm not talking at like 9 or 10, I work at 5 am, which honestly isn't that bad. I like getting off at 1:30. My work schedule aside, I would like to mention, I'm making this story up as I go along, so don't really know how long it'll be and all that, but I prefer doing my stories this way, makes it more challenging in my opinion. OK, enough rambling, go read my hard work!

It was the next night that the witch finally started to come to. She would open her eyes and look around for a moment before slipping back into sleep. Sypha diligently tended to her wounds, using her magic to heal what she could. They couldn’t stay here much longer. Alucard was still quite concerned about the band of hunters. Not to mention, they still had to stop his father and the army of demons he controlled.

“How much longer?” Trevor growled as he angrily poked the fire. He didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but they were wasting time, precious time that they could not afford to lose.

“It shouldn’t be much longer. My healing magic is beginning to work with her own,” Sypha stopped talking for a moment, brows furrowing.

“What?” Alucard asked, eyes scanning the Speakers face.

“It doesn’t make sense. I can usually feel another’s magic, but I didn’t feel it. You felt it though, Alucard,” she turned to face the Dhampir.

“Yes, I noticed that her magic was weak. I assumed it was because of her injuries. Perhaps her magic was keeping her alive,” Alucard offered. Sypha shook her head.

“No, it can’t be that. My magic should be bolstering her’s, but it only seems to be helping with the healing. My magic should be helping her’s recover” Sypha grew quiet after that, focusing on the woman’s bandages. 

 

It was a few hours after their conversation, that the young witch awoke and seemed to stay awake.

“Where am I? Who are you?” she asked, her voice a hoarse whisper before Trevor offered her his water skin. She greedily drank from it before handing it back, nearly empty.

“My name is Sypha and these two are Trevor Belmont and Alucard,” she supplied as she sat down on the end of the small bed.

“Who are you?” Trevor asked, eyeing the woman.

 

You looked around for a moment, eyes lingering on the one known as Alucard.

“My name is Stela. Thank you for saving me. I wish I had some way to repay you,” you smiled sadly at the trio Sypha waved her hand as if letting you know that payment was not necessary.

“There is no need to pay us back, though you could tell us what witch hunters were doing chasing after you,” she not so much as asked, but demanded. You let loose a large sigh before speaking.

“I’m a witch, well, a Druid to be more precise. My sister, Alina, betrayed me to save herself. They imprisoned and tortured me, trying to get me to confess,” you closed your eyes as you tried to forget the smug looks your sister gave you as they carted you off.

“Why did she betray you? What happened?” Trevor asked, curiosity piqued. 

“Well, it started after our parents disappeared. Alina decided we should leave our home and move to the small village that was nearby. Our parents always forbid us from going near, because we had magic. Anyway, we moved and everything seemed to be fine for a while,” you trailed off for a moment, lost in thought.

“What happened next?” Alucard was the one to speak. His deep voice startled you before you cleared your throat and continued to speak, “ Well, travelers would go missing. They would be at the small in one night and the next day, they were gone. Their possessions would still be where they were left, but the person would be gone. The villagers didn't seem too worried since none of them had been the victims. Around the same time, my sister began to act strange. She would leave in the evening and not return sometime until the sun was up. I thought she was just fooling around with one of the village boys, but she wasn’t.” you stopped a moment, unwilling to continue, but you had to. These people had saved you and you owed them this much.

“When dracula unleashed his armies onto Wallachia, the travelers stopped passing through and the villagers began going missing. One morning, I was up earlier than usual and saw my sister burning bloody, torn clothes. She had this dark, satisfied look on her face. It scared me so much. I had never seen her so… evil. The next time she left the house, I followed her. She kidnapped the butchers infant daughter and took her back to our old home. I watched through the window as she placed the child on some alter and began chanting something I couldn’t understand. When she raised the dagger she was holding, I knew then what she had been doing. I rushed in and tackled her to the ground. We began fighting for the dagger. We only stopped when the villagers stormed in. She pushed me off and began telling them that it had been me behind the disappearances and she was only trying to stop me. They believed her, since I was the one with the dagger. They dragged me off to be tortured and executed after that,” you finished, heaving a deep sigh as the heaviness in your heart made your chest hurt.

“How did any of that affect your magic? It’s so weak,” Sypha inquired.

“It’s locked away, I suppose. A few days after I was imprisoned, Alina came to see me. She was spouting nonsense about being the only one destined to survive and that she would be the most powerful. She used some unknown spell to lock my magic away. I don’t think she did the spell right though, since I can still use some magic and I felt Sypha’s magic helping me heal” you finished, shifting into a more comfortable position. 

“It seems like your sister has been drawn into the world of dark magic,” Trevor said as he took out a few pieces of bread and jerky. He handed the food to you and you smiled before all but wolfing it down.

“I, unfortunately, assumed when I saw her trying to kill an innocent child. Our parents never taught us such magic, so I haven’t the faintest idea where she learned it,” you looked between the three as if looking for an answer, but they obviously didn’t know either.

“I’m still wondering how you escaped imprisonment,” Alucard again asked.

“Oh, that wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. I was0 able to slip between the bars of the prison wagon they had me in. I don’t think they thought their construction out very well,” you simply said.

“Well, now that you’re up, we should be able to continue our journey in the morning. Now, I think I’ll get some sleep,” Trevor said, trying to suppress a yawn. 

 

The night was quiet as you lay awake, unable to sleep. You tossed and turned, but you could not get comfortable. Your body was tired, but your mind was not. 

“You are restless, little witch,” came the deep whisper of Alucard somewhere from the darkness of the small cabin. Your eyes scanned the room until they met glowing gold, near the head of your bed.

“I’ve too much on my mind,” you mumbled as you tore your gaze from his. There was something about him that was not quite human, but you couldn’t figure out what.

“I do not blame you, but you will only slow us down if you do not get some rest,” he simply stated, “What is on your mind?” he continued, urging you on with silence.

“I don’t know what to do now. I have no home and no family. I’m lost,” you lamented as you curled further into what you had come to know as Alucard’s coat. Before Alucard could reply there was shouting coming from outside followed by banging on the door. Trevor and Sypha sprung to their feet as did Alucard, all drawing their preferred weapon. Trevor and Alucard walked to the window next to the door and looked through the tattered curtain.

“It’s a mob. I hate mobs,” Trevor groaned as he walked to the door and opened it, walking outside.

“Sypha, stay with Stela,” Alucard ordered before he too went outside. The young Scholar pulled you to your feet as she pulled you as far away from the door as she could.

“Don’t worry. Trevor and Alucard won’t let anything happen to you,” she whispered. Loud talking was the only thing that could be heard. The mob wanted the witch that killed their friends and family members, with Alucard and Trevor trying to convince them that they had the wrong girl. So caught up with what was going on, neither of you noticed the figure climbing into the window. Before you could tell what was going on, Sypha’s body sagged to the ground, taking your still unsteady form with her. The man kicked the unconscious girl away from you and pulled you to your feet by the hair. You tried to cry out, to alert the two men outside, but a quick fist to the cheek stopped that. Tears sprung to your eyes as pain blossomed across your face. You could taste blood in your mouth, the metallic taste making your grimace. The man yanked you to the window and threw you out of it, making you scrape your elbow and knees on the hard ground. You whimpered as the man grabbed you by the hair and began dragging you into the forest and away from the safety of your saviors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked that little cliffhanger. What's gonna happen next? I don't even know! OK, I do have an idea. Well, kudos, comment, subscribe. Or don't, I'm just doing this to keep me preoccupied until Netflix releases season 2.


	4. See a Little Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK! Sorry for the wait, but work happened and then the fall semester began on the 20th and I have to get in my groove, ya know? Anyway, enjoy and look for chapter 5 to be coming out in the very near future:)

Alucard’s coat tore against roots as the man dragged you further into the forest. You kicked and screamed as your scalp seared with pain. The man only tugged harder.

“You’ll pay for what you did to my son, you bitch!” he snarled as he finally threw you in front of him. You landed harshly on the ground with a pained grunt. Alucard’s coat had fallen from your frame in your fight against the man, and now you sat on the ground, naked in front of this man who wanted to kill you. You tried to cover yourself, but it didn’t work when he kicked you further to the ground. His heavy foot made impact with your side before he stopped and knelt next to you. You tried to move away, but he only grabbed hold of you and brought you around to face him. His face could barely contain his rage and you stared into eye that held nothing but hate for the person he believed killed his son.

“Please! I didn’t kill your son! It was my sister!” you wailed, terrified of what this man was going to do to you.

“I don’t care! Someone will pay for his death and you’re already right in front of me,” he growled as he brandished a dagger from his belt. Your whole body began to shake as the silver glinted in the dull moonlight. If you could just tap into even the smallest amount of your magic, it would hopefully be enough to free you. You closed your eyes, willing your mind, your body, your very soul to tap into the nature around you. You could feel the familiar tingles of nature coursing through your veins, but it was like it was being stopped by an invisible wall. You gritted your teeth and focused harder. Physical walls have weak spots, so why can’t magical? 

“You trying to kill me with your evil magic, whore?!” the man bellowed as you felt his fist connect with the side of your head a couple times. You refused to break concentration though, you couldn’t! Your life depended on it. After what seemed like a million eons, you finally felt a small sliver of magic trickle down your arm and into your fingertips. It wasn’t much, but if you hit him in the right spot, it should stun him and free you. You gritted your teeth against the pain and warm liquid running down the side of your face and jabbed your fingertips right into his jugular. He immediately let go and began writhing around on the ground. You stumbled to your feet and did your best to run in the direction you thought the cabin was in, not forgetting to grab Alucard’s coat on the way. You hugged the fabric to your body as you limped your way through the dark woods, trying not to look back. If you did. It would be the end for you.

You could hear the man’s heavy footsteps pounding against the frozen ground as he gave chase. You sped up as much as your once again, battered body would allow. You huffed as the roots tripped and hindered you. You could see the shape of the cabin in the distance and smiled, split lip bleeding. You willed your body to go faster as you were just about home free. It seems though, that fate, or luck, or the gods and goddesses were not on your side. As soon as you broke through the forest, the man tackled you to the ground and pulled you back into the forest.

 

“Leave us!” Trevor bellowed as he cracked his whip in the air. It was ridiculous, these PEOPLE were ridiculous. No matter what threats they made, well, no matter what threats Trevor made, they wouldn't give up and go home. Alucard only stood there, glaring at the people. Sypha burst through the door just as Trevor went to pull out his sword.

“Belmont! Alucard! One of the villagers took Stela!” she shrieked, a small trickle of blood running from her temple. They both looked from her, then to the mob, and finally, at each other. Trevor nodded his head in the direction of the door, a silent request to go and rescue the young witch. Alucard nodded and leapt onto the roof and out of site. Sypha joined Trevor to face the mob.

“Look, that other witch! Kill her too!” a woman yelled, while brandishing an old shovel. The mob yelled and pushed forward, forcing the duo to take a few steps back. Syphia growled and summoned her fire magic.

“You fools will take a step back!” her once soft, sarcastic voice became enraged and aggressive. Trevor shivered slightly, glad that she was on his side. The mob collectively gasped and moved back several paces.

“You all have harassed and tortured an innocent woman. A woman who has been betrayed by her own blood! You will leave and never think of pursuing her or any other magical being again!” she barked as the crowd began to quickly dissipate from the fear of being burned alive. Trevor whistled lowly as the last of the crowd disappeared down the road.

“Remind me never to piss you off,” he murmured as they both made their around the house and into the forest, where they assumed the man took Stela.

 

Alucard stood over the man, his dagger imbedded in the tree not too far away from them. He was lucky to have gotten to the scene in time to stop the dagger from going any further into Stela’s chest. He quickly glanced over at her, shivering and huddled under his now ruined coat. His eyes snapped back to the man when he felt the sting of another dagger in his stomach. He merely glanced down at it before hissing. The man obviously didn’t expect the younger man to be a Vampire. He yelped and backed further from Alucard, but was rebuffed by a rather thick oak tree.

“You have ruined my favorite coat and attacked this young woman without cause,” he hissed as he pulled the dagger from his torso. He looked at it before throwing it to the side.

“S-She killed my son and then blamed it on her sweet sister!” he plead his case as Alucard just merely watched him. The Dhampir didn’t say anything only picked the man up and glared him down. His eyes turned blood red as he spoke, “You will leave this place and never think of tracking down the woman again. In fact, you don’t even remember why you were here.” the man only nodded before Alucard threw him to the ground and turned his attention to Stela. He quickly walked over to her and knelt down. She flinched as his gloved hand tilted her chin. He bit back a growl as he inspected her face. There were bloody cuts and bruises already forming. He tried venturing further down her body to check for other injuries, but Stela only pulled away and pulled his coat closer to her body. 

“I mean you no harm, little witch,” he murmured as he slowly moved his coat aside enough to see the bleeding gashes and black, painful bruises.

“All of our efforts to heal you appear to have been in vain, it seems,” he sighed. Trevor and Sypha appeared in that moment, both shocked at seeing Stela injured once again. 

“We’re never going to get to Dracula’s castle at this rate,” Trevor bemoaned as he slumped against a tree. Sypha only walked over to the other woman and sat by her, taking a hand in hers. Alucard thought a moment; Trevor was right. They would never defeat his father at this rate. But, at the same time, they couldn’t just abandon the witch either. She had no home or family. She was injured and defenseless. His mother would have his head if he were to just up and leave her. She raised him to be a gentleman, not a barbarian. 

“My blood,” he finally spoke, prompting even Stela to look at him in confusion.

“Come again?” Sypha asked in confusion.

“Vampire blood can heal. I will simply give her some of my blood to heal her,” he answered as he looked at the three for any reaction. Trevor looked both disgusted and curious at the same time, as did Sypha. Alucard then looked down to Stela.

“It is ultimately up to you, little witch. None of us can force you to drink my blood, but it will heal you and make you stronger,” he said gently as fear flickered in her eyes.

“I don’t want to be a Vampire though,” she whispered weakly.

“You won’t be. I’ve read that a Vampire’s blood can heal, but I never actually believed it,” Sypha said, a mesmerized look clouding her eyes. Alucard only nodded then returned his gaze to Stela, saying, “It is your choice. It will not hurt and you will not turn into a Vampire.” He could see her mulling it over in her head for a few moments before slowly shaking her head.

“I-I’ll do it if you think it’ll help,” she finally said. Alucard only nodded and sat next to her. He pulled up his sleeve and bit into his wrist. He slowly moved it in front of her, body stiffening when she gently grasped it in her small hands. She swallowed nervously as she brought the appendage to her mouth. Alucard could barely suppress a moan when he felt her mouth on his skin. He was never one to give into his baser instincts, but he had to admit that it felt quite nice to feel her tongue run over his flesh. She pulled away after a few moments, a bit of blood running from the corner of her mouth. She shyly wiped it away and scooted closer to Sypha.

“It seems to already be working,” Trevor said as the trio watched the cuts knit closed and the bruises disappear. Stela put a hand to her temple and then to various other parts that had once been marred by injury.

“Wow, it’s like I was never injured at all,” she gasped in mesmerization. Sypha gently stood up and offered the girl a hand.

“We should get moving. I don’t want those idiot villagers getting second thoughts and coming back,” Alucard quipped once everyone was on their feet. He turned to start walking towards the small road that the cottage sat off of, but was stopped by Sypha saying, “I know we’re in a hurry to stop Dracula, but Stela has another problem.” Both men turned to look at the witch, only to realize she still only had Alucard’s coat on.

“You wouldn’t happen to know any clothes spell would you?” Trevor asked Sypha, his eyes trying to avert from the ill clothed witch. Sypha only shook her head.

“Perhaps we should look in the house. We only stayed in the main room. There maybe something in the smaller room,” Alucard suggested. They all nodded and walked back to the house.

 

Sypha opened the creaky door to the smaller room and used fire magic to light the small space. The both of you had been tasked with looking for anything that could be used while Trevor and Alucard looked over a small, torn map.

“Look, a chest. Maybe we’ll find something in it,” Sypha said excitedly as she knelt down next to it. You were at her side a heartbeat later. She grasped the lid and lifted, but nothing happened. You both tried, but didn’t succeed. 

“It seems to be locked,” you said as you peered closer at the old, built-in lock.

“Do you have a pin or something small and thin?” you asked, looking at the girl next to you. She nodded and pulled a pin from her hair. You took it and stuck it into the lock. You were a bit rusty, but within a few minutes, the lock clicked open. You smiled and handed the hair pin back to her.

“How?” she wondered as she stared from you to the chest. You shrugged, a light blush on your cheeks, “My father taught me.” She only nodded as you both lifted the heavy lid. You both smiled as the chest offered clothing and a small rucksack. You pulled the items out, but something at the bottom caught your eye. You handed the clothing and rucksack to Sypha and stuck your hands in the bottom of the chest. Sypha only watched as you pulled out a recurve bow and a half full quiver.

“Perhaps this day isn’t complete shit,” you murmured to yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed. I feel it was a bit rushed, but I wanted to wrap up the villager problem and finally get our poor reader into some clothes. It's the same with the whole blood drinking, I didn't want an injured reader for the next million chapters. I also think I did a pretty good job of keeping Alucard in character. I like to think Lisa would of raised him to be a gentleman, and Dracula woulda caught some hands if he tried to undermine her, lol. Like always, kudos, comments, & bookmarking! It's always appreciated, but not necessary.


	5. Witch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the good news is that I'm alive! That's it, there's no bad news. Sorry it took like 2 months to get this to you guys, but life happened. Anyway, nothing much to say except season comes out next Friday!!!!!!! Anyway, enjoy, comment, kudos, sacrifice a goat in the name of the plot bunnies.

Another demon fell as an arrow engulfed in fire pierced through its head. Dracula’s army had come out of nowhere, attacking your party as soon as the sun disappeared over the horizon. It was a smaller group, compared to the ones that attacked Grezhit and Targoviste. 

“Scouts, perhaps?” Sypha inquired as she hurled an ice spear at a demon that had managed to jump on Trevor’s back.

“Maybe, but I don’t think he needs scouts,” Trevor huffed as his whip whistled through the air. You ducked as a demon lashed out at you. You rolled out of the way as Alucard appeared and the demon was dispatched. You nodded your thanks and went back to laying down cover fire for the more melee inclined party members.

“God only knows what he’s planning,” you replied as another arrow made quick work of a demon about the pounce on Sypha. 

It seemed like an eternity, but the demons were eventually dispatched. You huffed and plopped onto a clean patch of grass.

“You’re quite skilled with a bow,” Alucard remarked as he peered down at you. You looked up and smiled before speaking, “Thanks, but I’m a bit rusty.”

“Where did you learn? Most magic users don’t have such skills,” Sypha asked, curiosity plaguing her face.

“My father taught me. Alina would always mock me, saying I wasn’t a true Druid if I couldn’t rely solely on my magic,” you supplied as you tried to salvage as many arrows as possible. You didn’t have any money to buy new ones, and even then, they were probably a little hard to come by.

“We should stop at the next village,” Alucard said as he continued on the path your party had been on before the demon attack. You all nodded and followed after him.

 

The village was a bit larger than the one that you were from, but it was still small. 

“I need a drink, or dozens,” Trevor proclaimed as he veered off the small road and into the tavern.

“I shall see about some supplies,” Sypha said as she too, walked in a different direction. 

“What shall you do?” you asked the Dhampir walking a little ahead of you. He peered over his shoulder at you, speaking, “ I do not require anything.” You nodded and veered to the right when you saw a small building. It was a sort of trading and hunting outpost by the looks of it. You stopped outside of the building and rummaged around in the variou pockets and pouches of your clothing and rucksack. Alucard stopped right beside you and watched you curiously for a moment.

“What are you doing?” he asked as you pulled out a few bits and baubles, examining them.

“I need some arrows, or at least arrowheads. That last attack has me quite low. Unfortunately, I don’t have any money, but I might be able to trade these for an arrow or a head,” you explained as you walked into the small store. Before you could make it to the counter, Alucard was already there, asking about a full quiver. You went to protest, but was silenced when the Dhampir pulled out a small bag a coins. The shopkeeper happily took the money as Alucard handed the bundle of arrows to you. You quietly took them and followed your companion out into the cold. A few minutes of walking in silence is all you could stand before the burning curiosity got to you.

“Why did you buy these arrows for me?” you asked as you slightly jogged to keep up with Alucard’s slightly faster pace. He merely looked at you out of the corner of his eye.

“You needed them,” he simply said before he ducked into the tavern that the rest of your party was currently occupying. You stopped outside of the door and stared for a few moments. Alucard is certainly an enigma. You shrugged and walked into the tavern, immediately being assaulted by the scent of booze, sweat, and something along the lines of none to fresh meat. You sat down next to Sypha and nodded to Trevor as he slid you a large tankard.

“Do you think Dracula’s castle is still in Targoviste?” Sypha asked as she lightly sipped her drink, grimacing at the taste. 

“It is, at least for now. It’s the largest and most fortified of all of the cities in Wallachia. Although, he could decide to move at any moment,” Alucard said as he pulled out their small, torn map. Within about thirty minutes of looking over the map, you had drained your tankard.

“I’m going to get another drink. Would anyone like another while I’m up there?” you asked, standing from your chair. Three hums of affirmation greeted your ears and you nodded. You silently padded up to the bar and placed your order. As you waited for the bartender to pour your four drinks, you listened in on the nearest conversation. 

“Two more people disappeared into the forest last night,” a middle aged man said to another. One looked like a smithy and the other seemed to be a farmer of some type.

“The evil witch and her fog?” the farmer inquired. The smithy nodded as he took a long drag from his tankard.

“Aye, but that’s not the only thing in there. Some of Dracula’s demons have been spotted as well. The witch is probably controlling them,” the smithy continued as the farmer nodded with him in agreement

“It’s a shame, really. Before all of this, we used to go to that woman for advice and healing,” the farmer lamented as they threw some money on the counter and left the establishment. The bartender handed you four tankards and you walked back to your party.

‘I wonder if the witch in the forest is actually working with Dracula,’ you thought as you silently watched Trevor point vigorously at a spot on the map.

‘I highly doubt he would have any use for allies. He has an army from hell at his beck and call,’ you bit your lip as you decided to go after this witch. If she wasn’t working with Dracula, perhaps you could get her to help you get your magic back or at the very least, tell you how to go about getting it back. You needed to get it back no matter what if you wanted to stand any kind of chance against Alina 

Night descended quickly upon the village. Alucard and Trevor took one room while Sypha and yourself took the one next to them. You quietly pulled your boots on and grabbed your rucksack and bow and quiver. You looked over to Sypha’s sleeping figure, making sure she was asleep before slipping out of the room and ultimately out of the inn. You looked around the desert, mud roads of the town, making sure that no one or anything was around. You nodded to yourself once you thought the coast was clear and moved into the the dense shadows of the buildings, towards the forest. You weren’t really sure where in the forest the witch lived, but you were sure you could find her. If there was one thing your parents pounded into your head, it was the fact that witches could since their own and most of them didn’t like that one bit. Finally you stepped out of the shadows and to the edge of the forest. You closed your eyes and concentrated on feeling out the area. Your magic was getting weaker and the nature around you even had a hard to time connecting to you now. You grit your teeth and tried harder. You just need one little feel of foreign magic to get a general location. 

“Come on!” you hissed quietly as you began to feel a trickle of blood running from your nose. Trying to force magic was a dangerous game, but you didn’t have a choice. If you were to walk through the forest without even a modicum of direction, it would take well into the morning. Finally, after several minutes and a second bloody nostril, you felt it. It didn’t feel evil, but it did feel unwelcoming. It seemed to be coming straight ahead of you. You wiped your nose and nodded to yourself before beginning your trek into the unknown.

Alucard watched from the shadows as the little witch concentrated on something. It was more than likely the magic that was emanating from the forest. Was she drawn to it? He couldn’t quite tell, but he had noticed her magic slowly fading over the days that they had been traveling with her. It concerned him, especially since he did not know the details of how her sister locked her magic away. Perhaps she was going to try and steal the magic away? He had heard the two villagers talking about the witch of the forest, so it was a possibility. Of course, assumptions only went so far, so Alucard moved into the forest after her.

Your bow was knocked and ready to go for anything that jumped out at you. You didn’t like the feeling this forest gave you. It was dark, cold, and creepy. 

“You can do this, Stela,” you psych yourself up and continued your trek towards what you hoped was the witch. A rustle in a nearby tree had you stopping and staring at it with apprehension. You remember the villagers talking about Dracula’s demons being sighted here, and prayed to any divine being that it was only a squirrel taking a midnight piss. You were so focused on the tree that you failed to notice the demon barreling towards you. You only felt the wind whip past you and the pain in your shoulder as it’s claws clipped you. You dropped your weapon and fell to one knee. You grit your teeth and grabbed your weapon, standing back up. You readied your bow and whipped around at the demon. It screeched and lunged for you. You released your arrow and it hit home, right in it’s head. You lowered your bow and looked down at the dmon, deep red, nearly black blood oozing from around the arrow shaft. The demon twitched slightly when you removed, the thankfully undamaged arrow. As you were putting the arrow back in the quiver, you heard the whipping sound of a demon cutting through the air. You turned around and realized it was too late, the demon was going to rip through you. You closed your eyes, waiting for an impact, but instead of the sound of flesh being shred from your body, you heard a whoosh and a sickening squelching sound. You peeked one eye open and came face to face with the demon. You yelped and jumped back, only to realize a sword had impaled the demon through the neck. You followed the long blade to a hand, that led up an arm clad in black. Alucard dislodged the demon and flung the blood off before sheathing his sword. He stared at you thoughtfully for a few minutes, before asking, “What are you doing, little witch?” You blushed slightly at the seemingly permanent nickname the blonde man had given you.

“Uhm… Hunting?” you asked more than stated. Alucard regarded your answer for a moment, before replying, “Witch hunting, perhaps?”

“You heard the villagers, didn’t you?” you asked with a sigh.

“What are your intentions with this witch?” he narrowed his eyes at you, suspicion lacing his voice. You backed up a few steps, replying, “I was hoping the witch could help me get my magic back or at the very least tell me how to get it back.”

“Going alone was quite foolish of you, little witch. You should have asked Trevor or myself,” Alucard sighed as he turned back the way you had been going before.

“Come, we should hurry,” he said while walking towards the source of the magic. You only nodded and jogged after him.

A thick fog seemed to have rolled upon the two of you without warning. You moved slightly closer to the tall male a few feet ahead of you.

“This fog doesn’t seem right,” you quipped as it seemed to swirl thickly around you. You looked to Alucard who said nothing and kept on walking.

“Wait, we should try and stick close together so we don’t get lost,” you said as your hand grazed his sleeve only for it to evaporate into nothing. You stopped dead in your tracks as the fog and surrounding shadows began to melt into a fiery landscape. You could smell the burning flesh and bone. The screams of the dying and the dead melded together to create an unholy symphony. You spun around trying to find the forest you were just in, but all around you was nothing but death and decay. Tears streamed down your face as you began to run in the direction you thought you had been going. Demons roamed about the ground and sky, searching for life. 

‘What the hell is happening!? We were just in a forest and now I’m here,’ your mind screamed as a demon swooped at your head. You yelped and dove to the ground.

“Alucard!” you yelled, trying to find the tall blonde, but it seemed like the only humans were dead and even then, their faces seemed to blur and bleed to form nothing but an empty red mass. You spotted a rather large hill and decided to climb it to hopefully get a better view.

“Alucard! Where are you?!” you yelleed once again as you tried your best to run up the hill. It took quite a few minutes, but you finally made it to the top, but you wished you had just stayed at the bottom. There was a large castle in the distance, but that’s not what had your attention. The landscape was strewn with bodies and body parts. Hordes of demons sat, waiting for something. A command perhaps? Your breath seemed to leave your body as your eyes seemed to automatically train themselves on the castle. You were a good distance away from it, but you could still see the black, shadowy mass walking down the front stairs. It scared you, but seemed somehow familiar at the same time. The shadowy mass had no defining features or anything distinguishing it’s gender. You watched as the demons seemed to all turn and give the mass their undivided attention. It said something you couldn’t hear and the demons began flying off in all directions. You looked back to the castle only to be met with the black mass. It’s roar seemed to pierce your soul as it’s hand plunged into your chest.

Alucard shook off the daze of the witch’s spell quite easily, though it was still a disturbing image. He looked around, noting the fog seemed to have dissipated. Stela was nowhere to be found. He cursed to himself and hurried to find her. She would be more vulnerable to the spell in her weakened state then he was.

“Alucard! Where are you!?” Alucard stopped as Stela’s voice was carried through the slight breeze. He concentrated on where he thought it had come from but heard nothing again. He cursed once more and began to run in the direction he had thought her voice had traveled from. 

‘I need to hear your voice, little witch,’ he thought as he continued to run. He couldn’t track her scent, the witch seemed to be making sure of it. He was about to stop and change direction when an ear piercing scream erupted from ahead of him. He grit his teeth and ran faster, easily breaking through the bushes and into a clearing. Stela was in the middle, surrounded by the magical fog. He saw the terror in her eyes and the tears running down her face as he quickly approached her. The fog swirled around him, trying to ensnare him, but he easily swatted it away.

“Little witch, it’s not real. You must wake up,” he calmly said, gently shaking her shoulders. It didn’t seem to be working as she continued to stare at whatever horror the spell was making her see. She whimpered pitifully as more tears flowed from her eyes. He could feel her shaking beneath his hands. He cupped her cheeks and wiped away the tears, saying in a calming voice, “listen to me. It’s not real, it is just the witch’s spell making you see what is not there.” He growled as she just stood there, whimpering pathetically. He looked down and noticed her shoulder had a minor gash from the first demon she had encountered in the forest. He didn’t like to inflict pain on his allies or anyone who didn’t deserve it, but it was the only thing he could think of. His right hand fell lightly on her upper arm as he drove his thumb into her wounded shoulder. It was almost instantaneous as her eyes seemed to focus on him, and then she let out an appropriate shriek as the pain finally registered. Alucard quickly dislodged his thumb and knelt her on the ground. 

“What. The. Hell!” she hissed between pants, clutching her now bleeding shoulder.

“I apologize, but it was the only way to snap you out of the spell,” he grimaced as the scent of her blood wafted past his nose. 

“It-it wasn’t real?” she asked, her voice small and plagued with exhaustion. He nodded and stood up, offering her a hand. She took it and he hauled her to her feet.

“We are not far from the witch,” he said lowly as he began to walk in the opposite direction they came.

“I swear if she doesn’t have anything useful for us, I’m going to kick her ass,” Stela muttered from directly behind him. He let a small smile grace his lips as he felt her small hand grasp the back of his coat.

You finally made it to a small, rundown hut in the middle of a small clearing, surrounded by a crudely built fence made of various sized stakes. It wouldn’t have been so creepy, if it wasn’t for the various animal heads and other ambiguous body parts speared onto the stake tips. You were about to say something when a raspy female voice stopped you, “I have been waiting, son of Dracula and White Mage.” You both looked at each other warily. Alucard ascended the small set of stairs first, you following not too far behind. You both stepped into the hut and were greeted by a middle aged woman wearing a tattered dress.

“Welcome! I hope you didn’t have too much trouble getting here,” she cackled as she stood from her spot in the middle of the room. Alucard stood in front of you, readying his sword. The witch merely waved her hand and his sword disappeared. 

“There is no need for that, Dhampir,” she scolded. 

“Why should we trust you?” you asked from behind your companion.

“Oh? Why come at all?” she countered.

“We’ve no choice,” Alucard simply said. The witch seemed to smile smugly at his answer.

“Aye, that is most true. Please, come and sit,” she said gesturing to the small fire she had stood from. Alucard hesitantly walked forward and sat, you following once he seemed to be satisfied that nothing bad was going to happen.

“You know why we’re here, I assume,” you spoke, looking at the woman. She had what seemed to be long, brown hair tied up at the back of her head. Her face held a few wrinkles and scars, but other than that, she looked like she could be anyone’s mother or even grandmother. 

“Yes, I know and unfortunately I can’t give you back your magic,” she lamented as she began to rummage in a large sack that sat at her side.

“Then tell me what to do!” you cried as you lent forward. She only hummer and held up one slim finger. You waited a few moments with baited breath as she finished rummaging through the sack. She tossed something at you, which you easily caught. You looked at it in confusion. It was a small amulet, a thin rope held a tarnished, rounded gold base that was inlaid with bright green emeralds. In the center was an intricately carved Icovellavna. 

“It will keep you from losing what magic remains in you. There’s a secondary effect of helping bolster magic regeneration, but I’m not sure if it’ll help,” she offered. You hesitantly put the amulet around your neck. You felt the odd draining sensation slowly stop and sighed.

“Is it working?” Alucard inquired. You nodded as you looked back at the witch expectantly.

“I cannot give you back what your sister has stolen. That magic is lost, consumed by the darkness,” she voiced as she stared between the two of you.

“So, I will never have magic again?” you asked. She shook her head, saying, “you shall have magic, but you must break through the barrier and reconnect with that which gives you life.” 

“I think I understand,” you intonated.

“Why did you call Stela White Mage?” Alucard asked the question that had been plaguing him since they had arrived.

“The Great Druid, upon his death, split his soul in two. Black and white, good and evil,” she stated cryptically.

“I don’t get it,” you voiced in confusion. She only smiled and pointed towards the door, saying, “you must go now.” Alucard said nothing and got up. He offered you his hand, which you took without question.

“The illusion was future, if you so fail,” she chimes as you walked past her fence. You looked back only to see nothing, no fence or hut, or witch.

“Alucard!” you chorused in alarm, grabbing his sleeve. He turned and grunted in surprise as he caught his sword that came hurtling towards him.

“Witches are troublesome, especially little ones,” he mused, looking down at you. You looked away, a blush adorning your cheeks.

“I’m sorry to have caused any trouble for you. I just… I just feel so useless without my magic,” you sighed as you finally met his golden gaze.

You are not useless, Stela. We will get your magic back and help you save your sister,” he said as he began walking back towards the town.

“N-No! You have to stop Dracula! I appreciate the help, but Alina is my responsibility. I can’t let anyone else get hurt because of her. I’m the eldest, so it should be me and me alone to stop her,” you protested, stopping in front of Alucard. 

“Why would we let an ally, someone we care for, fight alone?” he questioned, eyes boring softly into yours. 

“Y-You care about me?” you squeaked, the already red blush growing darker. Alucard chuckled and patted your head.

“If none of us did, we wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble to save and heal you,” he said, beginning to walk away. You smiled at his retreating figure, for once, happily trailing after the Dhampir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, so that was nearly 10.5 pages. I need a new pair of hands now. Anyway, I would really love to hear your guys' theories on reader's 'vision' and the whole great druid thing. Also, what do you guys think Alucard saw in his vision? I know, but I wanna know what you, my lovely readers, think!


	6. Alina

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A belated happy holidays to all! Chapter 6 is all yours, my dudes:)

The castle was dark and cold as you made your way through the main hall. Blood and gore decorated the walls and floor. You kneel next to a corpse and turn it over. You gasp and fall on your butt, backing away quickly. You had expected to find a human, but instead you were met by a vampire. She was dead, her black, stringy hair caked and matted with blood. It didn’t make sense, vampires don’t just die like a normal person. They go up in flames and this vampire was certainly not on fire. You sighed and stood back up, there was nothing you could do for her. You turned back towards the end of the main hall and glanced up to the second floor. You could see more demons and vampires hanging off the railing and staircase.

“What happened?” you mumbled to yourself as you slowly walked towards what look liked some kind of laboratory. It was filled with all kinds of weird looking tools and machines. The walls were lined with shelves of books. You noticed a tall man in a corner of the large room, hunched over a table. You could tell he had long black hair and was quite pale. You couldn’t tell what he was wearing because a large black cape blocked your view.

“Hello?” You called out, flinching as your voice echoed throughout the room. The man didn’t turn around or acknowledge you in any way. You walked up to him and gently put your hand on his shoulder.

“Sir, are you OK? Do you need a doctor or anything?” you asked worriedly as he still didn’t respond to you. You backed away slightly as he slowly turned around. Your hand shot to your mouth as you looked upon his visage. He had no face, nothing but a swirling purple and black mass. You turned to run from the room, but stopped dead in your tracks. The vampires and demons that had been dead mere moments ago, were now standing. Just like the man, their faces were a void of swirling darkness. There was nowhere for you to run, they had you surrounded. You covered your ears as their mouth-less faces began murmuring something unintelligible. You curled in on yourself as you felt their cold fingers grazing your body. They had you and there was nothing you could do about it.

Your eyes shot open and instead of being met by faceless demons and vampires, they were met by a dying fire and a sleeping Sypha on the other side.

“Would you please stop your squirming?” came a gruff, tired voice to your left. You looked over and noticed Trevor trying to make himself comfortable again. You had fallen on his shoulder in your sleep and it seemed he didn’t either have the heart to move you or he was just too lazy. You were betting it was more of the latter than the former.

“Sorry, Trevor. I didn’t mean to wake you up,” you apologized, sitting up and away from the grumpy hunter. He huffed, saying “s’fine, couldn’t really sleep anyway.” There was an amiable silence for a few moments, your eyes closing as your head lay against the tree behind you.

“What was your dream about?” Trevor asked suddenly, voice just loud enough not to wake up the other two, although Alucard was more than likely awake or something. You weren’t really sure if he actually slept or not.

“It was a castle. There were demons and vampires laying all over the place, dead. Then, in this strange laboratory, there was a man with a big, black cape. He didn’t have a face, no one had a face,” you murmured as you stood from your resting spot and grabbed your bow and quiver. You were wide awake now and it was growing colder with the fire nearly out.

“Where are you going?” Trevor asked from behind you. You turned to him and gave him a small smile before replying, “we need fire wood and I’m not really tired anymore.”

“Be careful. Alucard will have my head if something happens to you,” Trevor sighed before sliding down the tree and turning on his side away from you. With a quick nod, you walked off into the forest beyond your small clearing.

 

The sun began peeking over the horizon as Alucard stirred from his slumber. He shouldn’t be tired after sleeping for a year, but perhaps he wasn’t quite fully recovered. To his right, he heard Trevor fart in his sleep before sitting up and looking around in confusion. Perhaps that’s why sleep found Alucard so easily. Trevor would be enough to exhaust anyone. 

“Sh’not back yet?” he mumbled sleepily as he stood and stretched.

“What do you mean?” the Dhampir asked.

“Stela left last night to get more firewood. Figured she would have come back by now,” he simply stated before rummaging through his rucksack for some breakfast. Alucard quickly stood and began walking into the forest.

“I’ll go find her, you get Sypha up and get ready to leave,” Alucard called behind him before disappearing behind a large bush.

 

You awoke with a groan, immediately regretting it. Your head felt like Dracula himself was rooting around in your skull. You tried your best to recall what happened, but the only thing you can remember is a sharp pain radiating from your head. You put your hand to your head and winced as you peered at your red coated fingers.

“It would seem I fell and hit my head?” it was more or a question than a statement, though you’re not entirely sure who the question was directed towards.

‘I should get back to the others. We’ll be leaving soon and I’m sure they’re wondering where I am,’ you thought as you stood on wobbly legs. As if reading your mind, Alucard appeared right in front of you. You yelped and stumbled back, heel tripping over a rock. Before your poor head could meet another rock, Alucard gripped your bicep tightly and yanked you forwards. You fell into his chest where he continued to grip your arm, glaring down at you sternly.

“What were you thinking?” he hissed quietly, you knew he didn’t mean you any harm, but this was the first time that he had ever acted this way towards you. These looks and tone of voice were generally reserved for Trevor when he did something stupid.

“I-I’m sorry, Alucard. I couldn’t sleep last night and I needed something to take my mind off of the dream that I had had,” you spoke softly, unable to make your voice any more confident or loud. Alucard sighed and the hand that gripped your arm, snaked around your shoulders at brought your closer to him.

“What happened?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t really remember, but I think I hit my head on a rock,” came your weak reply. You felt Alucard’s unoccupied hand weave it’s way into your hair and gently feel around. You hissed as he came upon the offending injury. You shivered as he chuckled lightly, fingers barely ghosting over the sore flesh of your head. You peered up at him, breath hitching as rays of sunlight spilled in through the treetops and lit up his golden hair, giving him an even more unnatural beauty. He stared down at you in kind, lids closing halfway as his head dipped closer to your’s. Your pale cheeks flared with crimson as his lips gently met your forehead.

“You are too clumsy. You should have awoken me,” he mumbled against your skin before pulling away.

“I’m sorry, I should have known better, but I didn’t want to bother you,” came your meek reply. Alucard pulled away from you and merely shook his head.

“It would have been no bother. We can have Sypha tend to your head when we get back to cam,” he offered a quick smile before turning on his heel and walking in the direction of your companions. Your body gave an involuntary shudder as the ghostly feel on his lips on your skin wedged itself in the forefront of your mind. You shook your head of the fresh memory and jogged after the tall male, blush refusing to leave your cheeks.

 

“Are you OK, Stela?” Sypha asked as you chewed on the dried mystery meat Trevor had given you. You had stopped about midday in a small clearing for a quick lunch.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little headache is all,” you assured the young magician,, who only looked more concerned in return. In truth, you didn’t feel right at all. You couldn’t quite place the feel, but you didn’t feel like you were yourself. You wanted to chalk it up to the still sore bump on your head, but something in your gut told you it was something more sinister. A short time after found you back on the road. It was such a beautiful day out, with the sun shining, despite the cold weather. 

“I’m glad the day is so fair. I would hate to get caught in a rainstorm or something,” Trevor quipped as he peered up at the clear sky, hands laced behind his head. As if some god was listening in and thought the small group needed a bit of hardship in their lives, dark, foreboding clouds began to roll in, blotting out the sun.

“Great, you jinxed us!” Sypha groaned as lightning crackled across the sky in the distance.

“We should hurry the pace and find shelter,” Alucard stated as he began to walk faster. About a mile down, your group came to a fork in the road.

“Which way?” Sypha asked looking between the two choices. A shooting shot through your head, making you wince as a voice demanded you go to the left. Your mind didn’t want to obey this specter, but your body did not listen. Before anyone could even make a suggestion, you were walking down the left path.

“That way, I suppose,” Alucard muttered as he followed after you. 

 

Alucard didn’t want to admit to himself that he was worried about Stela, but ever since they had come to the split in the road, she had been eerily quiet. Her eyes seemed almost blank as she stared ahead. The hampir had a bad feeling about all of this. Stela waking up in the forest, the clouds, her seeming to know which way to go. There was nothing that he could really do at the moment though. They needed to find shelter from the coming storm. 

‘Perhaps, it’s her magic?’ Alucard thought as they took yet another left at yet another fork. They walked for a while more, before the clouds above burst open and cried upon the shoulders of the foursome.

They were all wet and cold by the time they made it to a small castle built into a small hill. The walls and towers were crumbling or completely collapsed. The wooden gate was all but destroyed, seemingly blown straight off its hinges with only a small piece of it precariously hanging from a rust covered hinge.

“What is this place?” Sypha asked as the group made its way into the castle grounds.

“Not sure, but I can sense magic. Both fresh and old magic,” Alucard answered, stepping over a piece a rubble.

“What do you mean?” Trevor asked, nearly tripping over a rusted, iron sword.

“Magic has been used here in the past and also recently,” he answered once again as they made their way into the castle interior.

“I can feel it too, like a large battle took place here long ago,” Sypha supplied as they walked into what looked like the great hall or possibly the throne room.

“Very perceptive of you, Speaker,” came a nasally, almost feminine male voice. IT seemed to not only echo in the dilapidated room, but also their heads. It held such malice and spite in it. It was a voice of pure evil. Alucard drew his sword and turned to the source of the voice. Off to the side, in the back of the room, stood a man. He was tall and gaunt, long, greasy black hair falling into his face. His eyes looked hollow and lifeless as they stared, unblinking at Stela. Alucard made to move in front of the girl, but she began walking towards the intruder. The trio looked on in confusion as their new friend stood beside the man, unfocused gaze staring at the floor.

“That’s a good girl. You lured them here faster than I thought. Although, I’m not surprised one bit. Without your magic, you are vulnerable to magical manipulation,” he chortled stepping closer to the still woman. Alucard’s blood boiled and he growled as he watched the man run his hand down Stela’s side, stopping at her hip before venturing to her thigh. Alucard began to charge at the man as his hand began to creep towards the apex of her thighs, but a magical charge surged through the air, sending the man into the wall behind him.

“Enough Marius! She is still my sister,” came a venomous hiss. Heads swiveled to the raised platform at the head of the room.

“Oh my!” Sypha gasped, staring at the young woman Both men agreed as they too gawked.

“My Lady! Alina, I’m so sorry, but she looks so much like you! You don’t let me touch you, and she was so willing,” he moaned the last part as he crawled to practically grovel at Stela’s feet, but she didn’t acknowledge him one bit.

“Willing?! You have her under some kind of mind control!” Sypha yelled, snapping out of her shock.

“Of course she’s under a spell. It was the only way to get all of you here. And Marius dear, she’s my twin, so naturally she looks like me,” Alina singsonged in a sickeningly sweet, yet mocking voice. The man only nodded furiously before standing up and brushing his clothes off.

“What do you want with us? With Stela?” Alucard asked calmly.

“Well, Dracula will be mine, so I need to get rid of you three. As for my dear sister. Well, I also need to kill her, but that requires some specific conditions that have yet to be fulfilled,” Alina vaguely explained. She looked to her doppelganger and motioned for her to come to her. Stela obeyed and stood in front of her. Alina leaned to her ear and whispered something to her. Stela turned around and raised her hand. It glowed black as shadow like tendrils burst from the ground and wrapped around Sypha and Trevor.

“Now, Stela kill Alucard,” Alina commanded. The woman in question seemingly produced a sword from thin air and rushed towards the half breed. He easily blocked her and shoved her away. That didn’t seem to faze her as she lunged at him again, managing to nick the left side of his neck slightly. Alucard couldn’t understand how she was managing to use this much magic so effortlessly when she could barely use it to light a fire not a few days ago. Another strike and parry had the dueling pair struggling to gain the upper hand as their swords clashed together in a show of sparks. Alucard didn’t want to hurt her, he cared deeply for her, but he saw no other way.

‘Injure her enough so she can’t fight anymore,’ his mind formulated as he blocked another clumsy strike. Alina knew her sister had no experience with a sword, but also seemed to know that none of them would want to hurt her. Alucard grit his teeth and silently plead for forgiveness as he blocked a strike, but this time allowed their blades to glide against each other as he used to momentum to knock Stela off balance. He took the opening and without hesitation, he plunged his sword into her thigh. Both Stela and Alina cried out in pain as the sword was swiftly removed.

“Marius!” Alina called to the man furiously. He ran over and placed glowing hands over the wounded flesh. A moment later, his hands moved to reveal unmarred skin, but Stela’s thigh still bled, wounded. The gears in Alucard’s head began to turn with plan, all of them involving hurting Stela, unfortunately.

“Alucard! I think in order to break whatever spell she had Stela under, you have to wear them down!” Sypha bellowed as she struggled fruitlessly against her restraints.

‘Wear her out? But, that would mean cutting Stela to ribbons,’ he growled in frustration as Stela stood up, thigh crimson with her blood. The injury didn’t seem to faze her at all. Alucard wracked his brain for a solution as they both circled each other. She was the first to move, lunging once more at the Alucard. Swords clashed for the umpteenth time as they struggled to overpower each other. The Dhampir’s nostrils flared as he caught the scent of the young Druid’s blood. That’s when it dawned on him, though he was loath to do so.

‘I need to weaken them without hurting Stela too much. I’ll have to bite her,’ he lamented as he gave a mighty shove and knocked the girl away. She dropped to one knee as her injured thigh seemed to finally have some kind of effect on her. Alucard dropped his sword knelt down in front of her. Stela said nothing as they stared into each other’s eyes. He brought her into an embrace, burying his nose into her neck.

“Alucard!” Sypha and Trevor screamed as red blossomed out around the sword now sticking out of his back. Alucard grit his teeth as he raised his head.

“Please forgive me, little witch,” was all he said as his fangs plunged into her neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hope you enjoyed this installment an I hope I'm keeping you on your toes and not being TOO predictable. Also a big thanks to everyone who has commented, given kudos, and/or subscribed. I'll start working on the next chapter right away! See ya soon:)


	7. Turning Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, another chapter so soon? Yep, with nearly a foot of snow on the ground, I don't really have much to do. So, here it is, my dudes!

Your body hurt a lot, especially your thigh and neck. Through the dark, swirling haze in your mind, the pain was what alerted you to something horribly wrong. The sound of fighting had you cracking your tired eyes open. Alucard was fighting off some kind of creature that you couldn’t identify. It was made of swirling blacks and purples, it’s form shifting from a giant, two legged wolf to a dark mass. It’s as if the magic that was maintaining it was weak and unstable. You were confused as to what was happening. The last thing you remember was going off into the the forest to collect fire. You had woken up with an injured head and Aucard had found you. Everything after that was a blank. You looked to the head of the room and found Alina, slumped on her knees, black magic swirling about her.

‘She’s the one controlling the beast,’ you thought as you turned your gazd behind you and found Sypha and Trevor fighting a gaunt, skinny man. He seemed to be thwarting all of their attacks easily. You winced as your neck gave off a painful throb. You gently rubbed at the spot and pulled your hand away in confusion when fingers brushed over two small puncture wounds. You peered at your hand and found a few spots of blood on your fingers. You had been drained of blood, which you were beginning to feel the effects as the adrenaline began wearing off. A loud shout brought you out of your thoughts as Trevor was thrown to the ground next to you.

“S-Stela? Are you still under your crazy sister’s control?” he asked, a wary look on his face. 

“I think I’m OK, for now at least,” you answered, unsure whether or not you were yourself.

“Well, just stay there,” he said before getting to his feet and running back into the fight. You looked around at your friends, feeling absolutely useless as they fought your enemy. You looked back to your sister, noting that she looked just as bedraggled as you felt. She was breathing heavily and she looked pale. 

‘Stop her!’ your mind screamed as you slowly and painfully got to your feet. You looked down at your leg and noticed the blood and the obvious sword wound. You grit your teeth and limped towards your beloved sister. You had never wanted any of this, despite her obvious evil intentions. She was still your family, your only family. No one should be forced to kill their blood, but she had brought it on herself when she began killing innocent people. You stopped at the small set of stairs that led up to the platform.

“Alina, please stop,” you plead, your voice weak and and throat dry.

“No! Dracula will be mine! You will be mine! These three annoyances will die,” she whispered the last part as the dark magic began swirling more violently around her.

“Please, sister! I don’t want to hurt you. You’re all I have left,” you cried as you did your best to rush up the stairs. You dropped to your knees in front of your twin and despite the swirling darkness tearing into your body, you embraced your sister, pressing her head tightly into your shoulder.

“Please, don’t do this,” you whispered as tears fell from your eyes.

“I will rule!” Alina shouted as she pushed you away from her. You realized she was far beyond any help you could even begin to offer. You closed your eyes and gave a shaky sigh as you removed the small dagger from your boot. Trevor had given it to you not to long ago after a particularly tough night horde attack. The string of your bow had snapped and it left you defenseless. Your magic was still too weak to do proper damage. Alucard had kept you by him, protecting you from his father’s wrath. You crawled towards your sister and grabbed onto her again.

“I’m so sorry Alina,” you cried as the small weapon plunged into her stomach. She screamed out as the shadow creature Alucard was fighting quivered before disappearing. She struggled away from your body, the dagger twisting in her skin, causing it to tear at her deeper. A powerful kick to your face had you seeing stars as you hit the wall behind you. Through your failing vision, you saw the mysterious man pick up your sister In a mist of red magic, they both disappeared, and with that, you fell into a dreamless sleep.

 

Alucard rushed to Stela as the red mist dissipated. He held her in his arms as he looked her over. She had a bruise forming over the left side of her jaw and cheek already. A testament to Marius’ surprising power.

“Is she OK?” Sypha asked worriedly as her and Trevor made their way over to them.

“Yes, it would seem so. She’ll need time to rest though. I’m afraid she has taken a beating and the blood I took from her didn’t help,” Alucard said forlornly.

“Well, the storm hasn’t passed yet. We should stay here for now,” Trevor offered. Both Sypha and Alucard agreed and they began making their way further into the small castle. They found several bedrooms in a small hallway. The beds were uncomfortable and dusty, but it was better than nothing. Alucard gently set Stela on the hard surface and allowed Sypha to heal as much as she could, as she herself was running on empty.

It was a few hours later that found Alucard sitting in an old armchair near the lit fire in Stela’s room. He was loathe to leave her after everything that had happened. He could still taste her sweet blood on his tongue, could still feel it coating his throat. He grit his teeth in disgust.

'What is wrong with me?’ he growled internally. It wasn’t like him to give into his vampire nature, but once his fangs plunged into the warm, soft skin of her neck, he couldn’t stop himself when the first drops of her sweet blood hit his tongue. He would have to watch himself around her from now on. He didn’t want to hurt her or worse. Just the thought of her hurt made him want to fly into a blind rage. His feelings towards the young Druid had grown in their short time together. Alucard sighed as he closed his eyes.

 

You awoke just as the sun was rising over the castle ramparts. You looked over to the dying fire and noticed Alucard slumped over in an uncomfortable chair, asleep. You couldn’t see his face, but you imagined he was exhausted, even for the son of Dracula. The memories of the previous came back to your mind, making you shut your eyes tightly. You could have lost your new friends and to know that your sister had become so far gone in her madness, it made a few tears slip down your pale cheeks. You couldn’t let this happen again. You had no idea if Alina still held any sway over your mind. You could feel that she was still alive. The two of you had always had this sense when it came to the other. You could sense when the other was in trouble, but you had never felt her evil. It boggled your mind that she could hide it so well. It scared you that she could possibly still control your mind. She could make you kill your friends while they lay asleep, defenseless. 

‘I should leave, find Alina by myself and finish this. I can’t let them get involved any further in my troubles. They have their own mission to fulfill,’ you reasoned as you quietly got out of the musty bed and gathered your bow, quiver, and small rucksack. You made it to the door, but paused, your hand poised to open it. You turned to stare at Alucard for a moment before gathering your strength and leaving. The only thing you regret is your growing attachment to the Dhampir. You had let it go unchecked and now you had to leave, saddened by the fact you probably wouldn’t live to see him again.

Night descended quickly and with it came fatigue. You hadn’t recovered enough to travel with a group, let alone by yourself.

‘I can’t back out now! I have to do this. Alina is my responsibility,; you encouraged yourself as your thigh twinged with a short, sharp pain. You ignored and pressed on, determined to find your sister. The thing is, you had no idea where she was. Wallachia wasn’t a big country, but certainly big enough that finding her without any leads would prove impossible without the use of your magic to track her. You didn’t get to dwell too much on the topic, as the terrified screams of children broke the silence of the night. You began running towards the source, ignoring the protesting of your body. You broke through a grove of trees to find two children being circled by a small group of flying night creatures. You quickly grabbed your bow and knocked an arrow. A moment later, a night creature lay on the ground, an arrow sticking out of it’s chest. The remaining demons looked to you and screeched, rushing towards you. You grit your teeth and fired another arrow, clipping the closest one on the left wing, it fell to the ground, but that barely slowed it down as it began running at you. You brought your bow up and used it to block the blow before pushing the demon away and shoving the arrow you had in your hand, in the monster’s eye socket. It fell to the ground, but was replaced by two more creatures. They both swiped their deadly claws at you, meeting the limbs of your long bow. You managed to push one away, the other hanging on to your weapon. You grit your teeth as the other came back with another swipe. Your attention was diverted to the children was they huddled in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by the remaining three creatures. They had decided to go after the easier targets and leave you to their hellish siblings.

“No!” you roared as you slackened your arms, sending the monsters off balance. You took the chance and pushed them aside. You grabbed an arrow from one of the dead monsters and ran at the monster about to kill the children. You jumped on it’s back and with a bit of effort, were able to brain it with the arrow. It fell dead, you rolling off of it. You quickly stood and ran to the children, shielding them from the danger. Another creature lunged at you, you blocked it with your bow, gasping when the wood snapped in half. Your heart gave a painful lurch as the demon seemed to smirk at your misfortune.

“Fuck you!” you roared as your hand buzzed with magic. It was weak, but it was enough to send the offending demon flying into a tree. The rest took a wary step back, but still circled like hungry predators. You threw your broken bow to the ground and took out an arrow. You didn’t seem to have your dagger that Trevor had given you.

‘Father always taught me to be resourceful,’ you thought as you rushed towards the creature nearest the children. It lunged at you, but you managed to dodge in time and stab the arrow into the offending arm. It screeched as you took out another arrow and plunged it into the thing’s heart. You ripped the arrows out of it and turned to run towards the next creature. You were getting tired, your fatigue showed on your face and your pale skin. Despite the cold weather, you were sweating profusely. There were four creatures left and you didn’t know if you could defeat them all. You stood in front of the children as the remaining night creatures gathered before you. You paused a moment and looked at the children. 

‘I can’t let them die,’ was the only thought you had as you dropped your arrows and clutched the amulet that hung around your neck. It had been saving your magic, helping you retain what you could. You didn’t know what would happen if you used the stored magic, but you had little else to fight with. You focused on the amulet, imploring the magic within to come out and fuel your body. The magic listened, though it slowly engulfed your body before coalescing in your hands. You put your hands on the ground and envisioned two large slabs of earth coming up on both side of the demons and crushing them. In a matter of moments, the ground had made quick work of your opponents. With shaking breaths and an even more shaking body you stood and turned to the children.

“You’re safe now,” you managed to get out before you fell to your knees, vision swimming. The children ran to you, worry in their eyes.

“Are you OK, miss?” the little girl asked. You barely gave a nod before the bushes in front of you rustled. You stood on wobbly legs, pushing the children behind you, grabbing an arrow and readying for another fight. It wasn’t what came out of the bushes, but who. Trevor followed by Sypha and then, to your relief and dismay, Alucard was the last to emerge.

“Stela! Thank God, you’re OK,” Sypha cried as she practically threw herself at you. In your weakened state, you just collapsed to the ground, not being able to support both her and yourself.

“So, you decided to get a head start?” Trevor asked calmly, eyes narrowing in a soul withering glare. You couldn’t meet the Belmont’s gaze. You looked to Alucard, who merely turned his back, deciding to inspect the corpses that littered the ground.

“I-,” you couldn’t think of anything to say honestly. You didn’t really think they would come looking for you. Yeah, they saved you and all, but they weren’t obligated to help. They had to stop Dracula from mass genocide.

“We can discuss this when we get somewhere safe,” Sypha suggested, seeming to be able to sense your discomfort. 

“You can come to our village,” the older of the two children, a boy, said. 

“Is it far?” Alucard finally spoke. The boy nodded, “yes, it’s not to far. It’s a small village of Druids, but we can put you up for the night.”

“Thank you, little one,” Sypha said with a smile as she got up and held out her hand. You took it hesitantly and got to your shaking feet.

 

The children turned out to be the grandchildren of the village elder. He was most grateful for you saving them and offered food, beds, and even healed you. Even with a full stomach, uninjured body, and comfortable bed, sleep didn’t find you well. Your dreams were plagued by shadows; indiscernible yet taking the shape of everything. With that, you found yourself outside in the middle of the small village, sitting by the large fire that seemed to warm the whole area.

‘Magic, perhaps,’ you thought as you absentmindedly stared into the fire, your mind not on anything in particular. You tried not to think too hard about anything that had happened the last couple of days or so. It was too much to handle. You were lost and powerless. You hated this feeling of being helpless.

‘I wish you were here, mom, dad,’ you sighed, vision becoming slightly blurry from the heat of the fire. While rubbing at your eyes, you failed to hear the footsteps softly crunching in the snow. It only dawned on you that you weren’t alone, when the person sat down on the log next to you. Alucard ignored you for a number of minutes, seemingly deep in thought. You went back to staring into the fire, content in his presence, even if it made you feel alone with his aloofness.

“Why?” he finally asked. You peered at him out of the corner of your eye.

“Why what?” you asked, not sure what he was asking.

“You left. Why?” came his short response.

“I need to find my sister by myself,” you replied finally turning your head to look at him.

“Why alone?” he once more asked.

“You could of gotten hurt or worse. Trevor and Sypha could have gotten hurt or worse,” you whispered knowing he could clearly hear you with his enhanced hearing.

“You don’t trust us?” another short question left his lips. You sighed as you shifted and turned slightly towards him.

“I do, with my life. I don’t trust myself. I can’t trust myself after it was so easy for her to control me. I can’t remember anything beyond you finding me, and that scares me. I don’t know what she made me do. I couldn’t live with myself if anyone got hurt because of me,” you confessed, looking down at your lap.

“I understand, but you’re being foolish,” Alucard said, a small hint of amusement in his voice.

“How am I being foolish?” you inquired.

“Sypha, Trevor, and myself can protect ourselves quite well. Even with your sister feeding you her magic, I was in no danger from your sword. I would have been more concerned if it were a bow,” he explained, making you blush slightly at the subtle compliment.

“Still, none of you are obligated to help me with my sister. Trevor is right when he says you have no time to waste. Every moment Dracula is allowed to go unchecked, more innocent people die. Besides, I never intended to survive the final encounter with my sister,” in a split second, Alucard was in front of you, cupping your face in his bare hands. 

“Why? Why would you say such a thing?” he hissed, anger and sadness swimming in his golden depths.

“Because, she is stronger than me. I have no weapon or magic to fight her with,” you supplied.

“That is no excuse! Why can you not trust us to help you? We care for you more than you think” he softly whispered the last part as his face leaned closer to you.

“I-,” you were cut off as his lips crashed into your’s. You hands gently cupped the backs of his as his thumbs gently stroked your cheeks. You tilted your head as you deepened the kiss. Alucard slowly pulled away, lips lingering just out of reach.

“I will help you either save or end your sister. There is no getting rid of me. Trevor and Sypha would share my sentiments,” he whispered, the steely gaze in his eyes suggesting that you couldn’t sway his mind. You merely nodded, still speechless from the sudden kiss.

“You should get some rest,” he simply stated, brushing his lips against yours before standing up and going back to his bed for the remainder of the night.

“How can I possibly get to sleep now?” you asked yourself incredulously, fingertips brushing over your lips. It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter is a turning point for not just Stela and Alucard's relationship, but the story itself. What does Alina want with Dracula? Why and what does she want to rule? What is the true identity of Marius? Can the Druid's help our wayward reader and her hands of merry misfits? As always, comment, kudos, and subscribe if you think this fic is worthy! Also, I'm thinking about starting another fic. This one will still be updated so don't worry. I'm not sure if I want to do a Vampyr and Nyx Ulric fic. Thoughts? I'm kinda leaning towards Vampyr cuz there's three possible love interests(that I like) for our leading lady.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you found chapter 1 enjoyable. This was just a bit of an intro, so it was kinda short. The subsequent chapters will be longer, I promise. Kudos and comments are appreciated, but not necessary. Look forward to chapter 2 within the next few days!


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